Irrigating apparatus.



II. F. ELLIS.

IHRIGATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20. I9I4.

1,159,658.` Patented Nov. Si), 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Glpi/Memes ava-png,

H. F. ELLIS. IRRIGATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED ocT. zo. I9I4.

Patented Nov. 9,'1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, 7444102 Q \m I MBIA PLANOCIRAPH CGLWKSHINIQTON, D.

HENRY F. ELnrs, or CANTON, soUTH DAKOTA.

IRitIVGATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentednov. 9, 1915.

Appiication med Gambe; 2D, 1914. serial N0.- 867,608.

To all -fwhom t lmay concern: Y

Be it known that I, HENRY F. ELLIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canton, in the county of Lincoln and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Irrigating Apparatus, of which the following'is a specilication. v

'lhis invention relates to irrigatingapparatus and the object of the invention is to provide simple means whereby the entire area of a field may be irrigated in a manner closely resembling a naturall rainfall.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the water supplied to the field may` be easily directed successively to all portions of the surface.y

A furtheri object'of'the invention is to provide an apparatus for the stated purpose which will be so constructed and arranged that the ordinary use of the field will not be interfered with and the employment of ditches or trenches will not be necessary.

The several stated objects of the invention and such other incidental objects as will ap pear from the following description are at'- tained in an apparatus of the type illustrated in the accompanying drawings and the invention consists in certain novel features which .will vbe hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly pointed out in the claims appended to this description.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of an irrigating apparatus embodyingniy invention; Fig. 2 is an elevation of a portion of the same; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the carriage by whichthe discharge pipe is moved across the surface to be irrigated; Fig. et is a detail perspective view of one of the guides for the carriage s upport' ing and moving cable; Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the support for the supply pipe; Fig. 6 is a detail section of the telescopic lioint in the suppl)7 pipe.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a plurality of posts l which should extend to a considerable height abovel the surfaceof the ground. These posts are arranged at the opposite sides of the field and form supports for` the working parts. They should extend at least twenty feet above the .surface of the ground and telegraph or telephone poles may be utilized for the purpose. In the arrangement illustrated, shafts 2 and 8 are extended through and j ournaled remote'from the power shaft 3 may be carried by short pintlesor stub shafts fixed upon the respectively adjacent posts but the employment of the shaft 2. will impart greater strength to the apparatus. kThe-ends of the severalcables 6l are rigidly secured to t the opposite sides or ends of carriages 7 by which the discharge or sprinkling pipe 8 is supported. These carriages, in the illustrated construction, consist of plates secured together by a plurality of bolts 9 and passing around the discharge pipe 8, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, so as to support the said pipe and cause it to move with the several carriages. The lower plates ll extend under the discharge pipe 8 so as to support the same, while plates llla extend upwardly from said lower plates at the sides of the pipe and have their upper ends connected by platesllb which extendv over. the pipe. The extremities of the lower plates are spaced apart and receive between them groov'ed pulleys 12, as shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3 and these pulleystravel on the lower runs ofthe respective cables.. The ends of the cables G are passed under the bolts 9 wnich connect the lower plates to the side plates and are then carriedup to the top plates lll between which theyl are securely clamped by tightening the bolts 9 as will be readily understood. It will thus be readily seen that if power be imparte'dto the upper runs of the cables, as by rotating the pulleys on the power shaft 3, the carriages will be moved to one or the other side of the field and the discharge pipe therefore moved so as to discharge the water over the entire surface. It will vbe readily noted that the pull of the cable will be at an intermediate pointvof the height of the carriage so that oscillation of the same will be avoided and a steady even travel impartedy thereto. Between the series cf posts l and extending parallel with the same, I provide a series of shorter posts 13 upon the upper ends of4 which are secured brackets or housings 1e in which are mounted guide rollers 15. The edges of the side plates of these brackets or L. housings 14. are curved upwardly so as to extend above the lower runs of the cables which are supported by the rollers 15, and the pulleys or rollers 1Q should be at least as wide as the brackets or housings so thatl bility of striking and being damaged by the same. 1t will be understood, of course, that.

while l have shown only one series of these posts 13, two or more series lmay be em ployed according to the dimensions of the Y field to be irrigated.

Preferably at the center of the field and extending transversely thereof with respect to the series of posts 1 and 13, I provide shorter posts or supports 16 upon the upper ends of which are secured rails or plates 17 between which are journaled rollers 18. A

telescopic supply pipe consisting of a stationary member 19 and a movable member c 20 fitted into the same is supported between the rails or plates 17 and upon the rollers 13 and the water is carried into this supply pipe by a conduit 21 leading from an Artesian well or any other convenient source of supply. Thewater may, of course, be pumped through the conduit and the engine which drives the pump may be utilized to rotate the shaft 3. rIhe movable member 20 of the telescopic supply pipe has a thimble or collar 21 threaded into its receiving end and a gasket or flexible washer is fitted between the end of the member 2O and the shoulder 23 on the said collar 21 so that when the said collar is turned home in the end of the memf ber .20 the gasket will be expanded against elbow 24 by -which the water is directed into. a short vertical tube or connecting pipe 25.

and the said tube or pipe 25 communicates directly with the discharge pipe 8 through T-coupling .26 as will be readily understood. The ends of thecentral cable 27 may be secured directly to this 'T-coupling or to a bracket 28 fitted thereon so that when power is applied to the said cable 27 through the rotation of the shaft 3 a pull will be exerted upon the discharge pipe which will cause it to travel across the field. To insure the positive movement of the-said cable 27, I

preferably provide a double pulley 29 at water is forced from the point of supply` through the conduit 21 into the telescopic supply pipe and power is applied to the shaft 3 so as to rotate the same. As. the shaft 3 is rotated, the several pulleys thereon will, ofcourse, be simultaneously actuated and travel imparted to the cables 6 so as to pull the carriages 7 across the field in one lor the other direction. The lower runs of the cable 6 form supports'for the several carriages and the discharge pipe while the central cable 27 is .relieved of the supporting functionv and the power applied to said cable is utilized solely in effecting movement of the discharge pipe. The travel of the discharge pipe is also transmitted to the telescopic member of the supply pipe which rests upon the rollers 1S, and consequently, the movable parts may be very easily actuated. Assuming that the discharge pipe is at the far side of the field, the shaft 3 will be rotated in a direction to pull the several carriages and the supply pipe toward the stationary member 19. The movable member 2O of the supply pipe will thus be forced longitudinally into the member 19 and the water will be caused to flow up through the connection 25 into the discharge pipe which is perforated throughout the entire length of its bottom. The perforations should be very small so that the water cannot all .escape from the supply pipe immediately adjacent the connection Q5 but part of the same will be forced to the ends of the discharge pipe so that the escape of the waterwill occur throughout the en tire length of the said pipe. VAfter the discharge pipe has been moved entirely across the field and has reached a point adjacent the power shaft 3 the direction of rotation of the said shaft will bereversed so that the pipe will be returned to its initial position. Of course, the water may be fed to the supply pipe during the return movement .of the discharge pipe but, in order `to be effectual, it should be supplied at a speed exceeding the speed at Vwhich the supply pipe is carried in its return movement.

My apparatus is obviously simple in the construction of its several parts and may be readily set up upon any field. As the water is dischargedfroman overhead point it will` fall to the ground in a line spray closely approximating a natural rainfall and, consequently, there will be no liability of the young plants being washed away nor of the water iiowing rapidly over the ground and escaping before it has done the required work. l/Vith my apparatus, the water will be supplied in such a form and in such a quantity that it will readily penetrate into the surface so as to supply the needed moisv b1 to the upper ends of the transverse posts and extending over the same, rollers journaled in and extending between said rails, a supply pipe having a longitudinally movable section disposed between and parallel with said rails and resting on said rollers, cables extending between the parallel series of posts, means for actuating said cables, and a discharge pipe carried by said cables between and parallel with the parallel series of posts and above the transverse posts, said discharge pipe being connected with the movable section of the supply pipe.

2. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising a series of posts arranged in parallel relation, cables supported by said posts and extending between the same, carriages comprising upper parallel plates hav ing the ends of said cables clamped between them, lower side plates and intermediate side plates connecting the upper and lower plates, bolts securing said plates together, the cables passing under the bolts connecting the lower and intermediate plates, rollers mounted between tlie lower plates of the carriages and traveling on the lower runs of said cables, a discharge pipe disposed parallel with the series of posts and passing transversely over the lower plates of the carriages and under the upper plates of the same, and means for actuating said cables to eiiect travel of the carriages and the discharge pipe.

3. An apparatus for the purpose set forth comprising series of posts arranged in parallel relation, an intermediate series of posts, housings upon the upper ends of said intermediate posts having upwardly projected side plates, rollers mounted within said housings, cables supported by the first-mentioned series of posts and extending between the same and having their lower runs supported by the said rollers, carriages secured to the ends of the said cables, rollers in the lower ends of the carriages engaging the lower runs of the cables and adapted to ride over the upwardly projecting side plates of the housings, a discharge pipe arranged parallel with the series of posts and supported by the said carriages, means to supply water to the said discharge pipe, and means for actuating the cables.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY F. ELLIS.

Witnesses J. V. CONKLIN, HENRY B. FELDMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

